Send vs transfer.sh
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Send | transfer.sh |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 37 · At risk | 76 · Good |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,914 | ★ 15,897 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer |
What are Send and transfer.sh?
Send
Send is a community-maintained fork of the discontinued Firefox Send. It provides end-to-end encrypted file sharing with links that expire after a download limit or time period.
- End-to-end encryption
- Expiring share links
- No account required
transfer.sh
transfer.sh is a service that lets you upload and share files directly from the command line using curl. It supports encryption, S3 and Google Cloud Storage backends, and maximum download counts.
- Command-line uploads with curl
- Multiple storage backends
- Optional encryption
Send vs transfer.sh: key differences
Send is written in JavaScript, while transfer.sh is built with Go. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Send versus MIT for transfer.sh. Transfer.sh is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Send. Transfer.sh is the more established project (first released 2014), while Send arrived in 2020. Transfer.sh has the considerably larger community, at 15,897 GitHub stars versus 5,914.
Why pick each one
Choose Send if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose transfer.sh if…
- Curl-friendly uploads
- S3 backend support
- Download limits and encryption
Watch out for
- Sparse recent development
- Minimal web interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Send or transfer.sh better?
transfer.sh is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Send if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Send and transfer.sh free and open-source?
Yes. Send is licensed under MPL-2.0 and transfer.sh under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Send and transfer.sh with Docker?
Send: yes. transfer.sh: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Send or transfer.sh?
transfer.sh has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Send. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.